Denizens of Halfgandum
These are NPCs living within or near the holdfast of Halfgandum. Allies Hangurig Angurobai, Neogi Great Master on-GUR-oh-bye A great oracle and leader of the Neogi settlement near Halfgandum. After a rogue Neogi scout abducted, anesthetized, and impregnated Simon Cadwin (effectively dooming him to a painless death), he begged forgiveness of the group and offered his aide after punishing the offender. After giving a cryptic prophecy, he gave the party a scrying stone to spy upon the depths of Halfgandum and purified and reconfigured the soul box, asking that it not be opened until the source of darkness in the depths of the dungeon was discovered. He was also secretive about what he did to the box, implying that somehow a gift was in store as further recompense. E'tan Junika JU-nih-ka The head of House Junika of Halfgandum. E'tan is a middle aged half-orc that had great aspirations for the future of his home but little chance to execute them. Before Roln was usurped by Ilthora, E'tan's house was the strongest of the three houses that rule Halfgandum and he sat as the overlord. However, after Roln's shape was stolen by the rakshasa Ilthora E'tan was defeated in a duel to hold rulership and his dreams were set even further back. His opportunity to reverse his fortunes and see his dreams for his people put forth came when the party came to Halfgandum. He has worked tirelessly supporting the party and pushing his own agenda to see Halfgandum restored to its former glory, promising to allow the dwarves and elves to return so that the land and colony could be successfully restored to its former state. With the party's help, the troubles and dissidence to his motives and plans have seen to it that Halfgandum's future is now secured. E'tan is a staunch ally of the party, ready to back them in any way that he can. Others Lady Thanis, The Crone Lady Thanis was the head of House Thanis in Halfgandum. A female half-orc of surprising beauty and undetermined age, she ruled her house with authority and kept her voice subdued as often as possible in the arguments between her other two house lords. She was the only one who knew for certain that Roln Irosh had been taken and was no longer truly Roln. Ambitious and always looking for an opportunity to advance her own agendas, she set upon Ilthora and struck a mutual bargain. She had no intentions of honoring any agreements with Yalshan and merely played his game until she could make a move of her own. A hagblooded sorceror, Lady Thanis ruled her own coven of hags outside of the city and sought to bring them into power in the city. When the party arrived, she attempted to abstain from the conflicts and consolidate her own power in her house's district. When Ilthora eventually fell, it became apparent from Ilthora's own journels and correspondance that he already knew of Lady Thanis's plans to betray him and her intention to rise against the leftovers of her two rival houses was obvious. She was also responsible for the capture of Krisken's expedition from Burglig. She fell victim to the party's retribution when E'tan decided that he could not abide her planned insurrection. Gera Azuli ah-ZOO-lee Johthus Yiss YIS An immensely powerful salamander from the plane of fire, Johthus Yiss is the Keeper of Fires and Forgemaster of Halfgandum. When the settlement was first founded, Lord Ferromar wanted to have the best smithies in the north. To this end, his priests and wizards attempted to bind fire elementals to the forges so that they would be the best in the world. However, the elementals would not obey for any long periods and occassionally would rebel. To this end, they called upon a being that would strong enough to keep the elementals in place. Johthus Yiss was so summoned. A consummate craftsman skilled in forging and reforging all manner of items, Yiss demanded that if he was to condone to being bound to the forge rooms that he be given full reign of the forges themselves to work and run at his whim when not working on a project. In exchange to being allowed control and command of the fires and forge, he asked only also that each new lord of the city give him an item of power to show that they would honor the pact. Yiss is single minded and loves to work his fires and craft great items more than anything else. Impartial to who runs the city, he will accept the pact bribe from any who can pay it. In the end, he was able to be bribed to E'tan's side based on the fact that his intentions for the city would potentially make Yiss's work known in many lands. Ilthora Yalshan YALL-shan Ilthora was a rakshasa who had been terriorizing Guromaaz and Tepliri for many years. After the last time he was nearly caught, Ilthora fled to the vast Smeltgar Wastes to avoid capture. During his time wandering the wastes, he stumbled by pure chance into Roln Irosh and a troop of his scouts doing a long patrol around Halfgandum. Sensing an opportunity to escape the filth of the wastes, Ilthora shadowed the group until Roln wandered off on his own for a time to relieve himself. Ilthora struck quickly at the incapacitated Roln, capturing his soul and taking his form. His stroke of luck couldn't have been better when he discovered that the form he had taken was a house lord in Halfgandum! Using Roln's stolen memories, he faked being the orc leader and challenged E'tan to a duel for leadership - one which he ultimately won even though Roln had never been able to best E'tan before. Ilthora planned to use Halfgandum eventually also his daughter to exact revenge against his enemies. His plans were cut short with the appearance of the party however. In the final climatic showdown, Ilthora was eventually laid low by his own daughter. Roln Irosh The party never technically encountered the real Roln Irosh who was slain in secret outside Halfgandum's walls - his identity taken by Ilthora Yalshan. He was the leader of House Irosh and second in power to E'tan Junika - a position he always resented but could never undo as E'tan consistently proved the better warrior in challenges. Tain Irosh Tain was Roln's nephew and with Yalshan's death and the fact that Roln was thought to have been the Lord of Halfgandum, many in House Irosh were not willing to allow the mantle of leadership to be picked back up by E'tan. Tain was a young orc and considered by many in his house to be their next leader. Unwilling to bow before E'tan or the wisdom of his own aging uncle, Tain took the chance when the party rose against House Thanis's rebellion to make a bid for power of his own, openly challenging E'tan's authority and raising as many warriors as he could muster in his house to aid him in killing E'tan. Tain was undone by the strategems of Hwyll who worked out a strategy with E'tan and Tain's uncle. Tain himself fell when his honorguard attacked E'tan in the throne room after turning down E'tan's offer of peace while he was guarded by Hwyll, Rachel, Kifah, Gwen, and Aaron. Kiruga Keir-RU-ga